Fire Inspections: London Theatres

Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	[The following Written Answer should have been printed on 18 January 2006 but was received too late for publication]
	How often London theatres are required to have fire inspections during the course of a year.

Baroness Andrews: The relevant legislation does not require a specific frequency of fire safety inspections. It is for the relevant statutory enforcing authorities to determine the frequency with which they will inspect these and other premises in furtherance of their duty to enforce the law.

Aviation: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What would be the proportion of the United Kingdom's gas emissions that cause climate change originating from the aviation sector if air passenger numbers reach their prediction of 475 million per year by 2030; and
	What would be the increase in carbon dioxide emissions per year if air passenger numbers rise in line with their prediction of 475 million per year by 2030, based on existing known technology.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Estimates of aviation emissions in 2030 were provided in Aviation and Global Warming published by the Department for Transport in 2004 and are available on the department's website at www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft–aviation/documents/page/dft–aviation–031850.pdf.

Cancer: Water Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to produce an updated analysis of United Kingdom ecological data on water fluoridation and cancer rates, as recommended in the Medical Research Council report Water fluoridation and health in September 2002 which they commissioned.

Lord Warner: The Government asked the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Dental Officer for England to prioritise the Medical Research Council's (MRC's) recommendations. Their first priority was research into the bioavailability of fluoride to compare levels of absorption from water in which fluoride occurred naturally with water to which it had been artificially introduced.
	The results of the study that the Government commissioned from the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of Newcastle were published in last October's edition of the Journal of Dental Research.
	The Department of Health will consider the MRC's remaining recommendations in the light of the report of a major review of research on the toxicologic risk of fluoride in drinking water which the American National Research Council is due to complete in February 2006.

Channel Tunnel Rail Link: Passengers

Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many passengers have travelled through the Channel Tunnel since its opening in 1994.

Lord Davies of Oldham: As Eurotunnel does not keep a record of the occupancy of the vehicles that it carries on its passenger shuttle services, it is not possible to give a total figure for the number of passengers. However, since the Channel Tunnel opened in 1994, Eurotunnel has carried some 25.9 million vehicles (i.e. cars, vehicles with trailers, caravans, campervans and motorcycles) and 0.7 million coaches.
	Since Eurostar services through the Channel Tunnel started in November 1994, some 66.8 million passengers have travelled through the tunnel by train.
	These figures are to the end of September 2005.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

Lord Vinson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency requires those who are registering the ownership of a vehicle to state their age.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not keep a register of vehicle owners, but a register of vehicle keepers; that is, those who are responsible for the vehicle's use on the roads. The DVLA requires the vehicle keeper's date of birth in order to aid prosecution in any court proceedings.

Gulf War Syndrome

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Pensions Appeal Tribunal's decision in the cases of Richard Hilling and Mark McGreevy on 30 November 2005 on the use of Gulf War syndrome as a descriptive label, how many outstanding war pension claims from veterans of the 1991 Gulf War now awaiting determination could be affected by the reasons for decision in these cases.

Lord Drayson: The Veterans Agency is currently processing about 300 cases of first claims or claims for further conditions from veterans who at some time served in the Gulf. The data held do not separately identify the individual conditions being claimed. It remains the policy of the Ministry of Defence to award when evidence of disablement is attributable to, or aggravated by, service. Where appropriate, it is the policy of the Ministry of Defence to accept Gulf War syndrome as an umbrella term for ill-health caused by service and connected to the 1990–91 Gulf conflict.

Iraq: Reconstruction

Baroness Williams of Crosby: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Of the $900 million they have committed for the reconstruction of Iraq since October 2003, and the $18.4 billion committed by the United States Government, how much has been diverted to other purposes, such as security; and how much has been spent on reconstruction.

Baroness Amos: The United Kingdom has pledged £544 million (US$ 900 million) for humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Iraq between 2003 and 2006, and disbursed over £460 million. This can be broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Committed Disbursed 
			  £ sterling (millions) £ sterling (millions) 
			 DfID   
			 United Nations Agencies in response to2003 emergency appeals 84 84 
			 Red Cross appeals 32 28 
			 Reconstruction in southern Iraq 131 62 
			 Advisory support to government, justice,media and civil society 52 18 
			 DfID secondments and consultants forthe Coalition Provisional Authority(CPA) 28 24 
			 Contribution to the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq(IRFFI)—United Nations and WorldBank trust funds 70 70 
			 Other multilateral contributions 11 5 
			 NGO support 7 6 
			 DfID Attribution of EuropeanCommission (EC) Contribution  67 
			 FCO secondments  38 
			 Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP)  30 
			 MoD Quick Impact Projects  28 
			 Grand Total  460 
		
	
	Of the £544 million total, we expect to disburse approximately £55 million on life-support, which includes providing security to personnel as well as other costs, such as their food and accommodation. Such life-support is necessary and integral to effective delivery of the humanitarian and reconstruction programmes above.
	Our £84 million contribution to the 2003 UN consolidated appeal included a £3 million contribution to the security costs of United Nations operations in Iraq.
	The United States' $18.4 billion Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF) is currently broken down by sector as follows:
	
		
			  Apportioned Committed Disbursed 
			 Sector US$ Millions US$ Millions US$ Millions 
			 Security and LawEnforcement 5,021 4,948 4,097 
			 Electricity Sector 4,310 3,833 1,799 
			 Oil Infrastructure 1,723 1,684 658 
			 Justice, Public Safety andCivil Society 1,251 1,215 674 
			 Democracy 1,004 968 654 
			 Education, Refugees, HumanRights and Governance 363 339 199 
			 Roads, Bridges andConstruction 334 291 159 
			 Healthcare 786 727 345 
			 Transport andCommunications 509 446 209 
			 Water Resources andSanitation 2,131 1,585 695 
			 Private Sector Development 795 794 556 
			 Administrative Expenses 213 151 58 
			 Total 18,439 16,982 10,102

Outboard Motor Propellers: Injuries and Deaths

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many injuries and deaths have been caused by outboard motor propellers in the past five years.

Lord Davies of Oldham: There were 14 serious injuries noted in the search and rescue records between 2000 and 2005; of these, four resulted in deaths. There are no details of slight injuries available.
	
		
			 Location 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 
			 Abersoch 1 
			 Belfast *1 
			 Brighton 1 
			 Cumbria 1 
			 Falmouth 1 
			 Holyhead 1 
			 Ipswich *1 
			 Jaywick 1 
			 Liverpool1  
			 Loe  *1
			 Portland   1   
			 Seahouses 1 
			 Southampton  *1
			 Swansea   1   
			 Sub-total 2 2 2 1 7 
			 Total 14 
		
	
	* Accidents resulting in deaths.

Public Order Act 1986: New Testament

Lord Monson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they believe that it is an offence under the Public Order Act 1986 to display quotations from the New Testament on the grounds that the display of such material is (a) threatening; (b) abusive; or (c) insulting.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: It is for the courts to decide, in any case which is brought before them by the proper authorities, whether an offence has been committed. Cases have to be dealt with in context but we consider it unlikely that such conduct will be an offence.

Questions for Written Answer

Lord Jopling: asked the Leader of the House:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20 December (WA 284), what is the constitutional justification for maintaining a 14-day deadline for the answer of Written Questions in the House of Lords.

Baroness Amos: There is no constitutional justification for the setting of deadlines for Written Questions. The House agrees deadlines for Written Answers itself, and endorsed the 14-day deadline on 8 February 1995.

Royal Household: Travel

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have reviewed the May 2002 memorandum of understanding between the Royal Household and the Government concerning the grant-in-aid for royal travel, as referred to in paragraph 15 of that document; whether the revised memorandum has been agreed; and whether they will place a copy of the memorandum in the Library of the House.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The May 2002 financial memorandum which relates to detailed provisions and conditions governing the grant-in-aid will be reviewed during the current year. A copy of the revised memorandum will be placed in the Library of the House.
	There are no plans to review the memorandum of understanding dated 25 March 1997 which established the main responsibilities of the Royal Household and of the Department of Transport in relation to grant-in-aid.

Sea Vessels: Foreign Ownership

Lord Selsdon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many British-flagged vessels are beneficially owned by non-British nationals or foreign institutions or corporations.

Lord Davies of Oldham: There are 2,991 non-British nationals or foreign institutions or corporations recorded as beneficially owning British-flagged vessels. However, the true figure is probably higher as in the past it has been difficult to accurately record these details on the register.

Sea Vessels: Red Ensign

Lord Selsdon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many commercial vehicles, fishing vessels and yachts are entitled to fly the Red Ensign.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The number of vessels entitled to fly the Red Ensign are all those registered on the United Kingdom Register. At the end of December the figures were:
	
		
			  Number 
			 Commercial Vessels Part I (Titled Register) 3,009 
			 Commercial Vessels Part IV (Bareboat CharterVessels) 61 
			 Fishing Vessels Part II (Fishing Vessels) 6,315 
			 Fishing Vessels Part IV (Bareboat Charter Vessels) 3 
			 Yachts on Part I (Titled Register) 20,213 
			 Yachts on Part 3 (Small Ships Register) 31,988 
			 Grand Total 61,589